Concertina player Caroline Keane has announced her new album, Rise, and shared the first single, Three Sisters, which features Steve Cooney. We asked her the BIG questions . . .
Rise is released on 8 May and is described as "a powerful musical tribute to women, place, and the living traditions of West Kerry".
Composed by Caroline as part of a creative project supported by Ealaín na Gaeltachta, Three Sisters draws deeply from the musical heritage of Corca Dhuibhne, where she lives and is raising her family.
Rising above the Atlantic at the northwestern tip of the Dingle Peninsula, the Three Sisters - Binn Hanraí, Binn Meánach and Binn Diarmada - have long watched over generations of coastal communities.
"The Three Sisters are always there," Caroline says. "I love to think about how they have witnessed generations of women living, working and making music in this place. For me they symbolise resilience, strength and continuity."
"Steve Cooney has been a massive influence on my music over the years and I'm honoured to have him contribute."
Speaking about her upcoming album, Caroline says, "Becoming a mother changed the way I hear music. It sharpened everything. It made me more urgent, more prolific, and more certain of my voice. This album feels like a turning point, not just creatively, but personally.
"It’s dedicated to the women who shaped me, especially my Mam and my granny. Their strength, resilience and quiet determination live in every note I play.
"As a female instrumentalist in traditional Irish music, I’m deeply aware of the shoulders I stand on, and of the responsibility to stand up and be counted myself."
Caroline plays: 1 May - Féile na Bealtaine, Kerry, 23 May - The Commercial Bar, Limerick, 4-7 June - Gulf Coast Cruinniú, Texas, USA, 29 July - The Attic, Doolin, 16 October - The Crane, Galway, 25 October - Return to London Festival, London, 5-9 November - Ennis Trad Festival.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I’m a Mum. Most of the time that I spend with my kids and my husband, I spend it laughing. I also really enjoy granny hobbies, particularly crochet. I’m crocheting a massive blanket with 3D flowers at the moment.
I work really hard. This is a tough business but it’s so incredibly rewarding. People used to write me off and not give me a huge deal of respect because I smiled a lot. That’s mad to me! I stopped smiling for a while then remembered smiling is important to me, I have a lot to smile about. I don’t really care about what people like that think of me anyway!
I have and always have had an amazingly supportive family. My Dad sadly passed away when I was very small and my Mam always told me to do what made me happy. That’s been at the centre of everything I’ve ever achieved. She’s always been such a strong woman, that’s part of the inspiration behind Three Sisters. My husband, Tom Delany, is a musician too. We support and champion each other. He helps me lots with the things I find deflating and I do the same for him.
How would you describe your music?
It’s traditional Irish music on concertina. The lineage of the music and the people who played it before me is hugely important to me. I have no interest in fusion music, consciously mixing with other genres that I know nothing about but I’m also a very curious person and I crave creativity. I love pushing my abilities. Every part of my style is driven by curiosity and by the subconscious influence of the music I listen to, which could be anything really!
Who are your musical inspirations?
I’ve never really been one to imitate a particular musician. Almost all of the influences I’ve had have been through osmosis. I listen to everything and that’s permeated my music. I have huge respect for the creativity of musicians like Charlie Lennon, Niall Vallely, Donal Lundy, Dolly Parton, Frankie Gavin, Ryan Molloy, Shania Twain, Begley & Cooney, Gerry O’Beirne, The Spice Girls, The Bothy Band, Billy Joel and Fergal Scahill. Apart from those. it’s the musicians who I’ve had the luck to play with over the years. They’ve given the most inspiration, musically and otherwise. It’s such a community-fuelled thing that we do. For me, there’s no point in sitting in a room on my own playing 'perfect music’.
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One of my biggest musical inspirations is Steve Cooney, who’s very kindly added his immense creativity to two tracks from my new album, Rise. He’s the main accompanist on my single Three Sisters and also features on a special piece called Mon Père Vis Dans Les Étoiles, which also features my mum, Cecelia, on concertina.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
My uncle, Joe, took me to see Mick Hanley in Matt Molloy’s in Westport. Apparently, I played with my Tamagotchi the whole way through. Joe still makes fun of me for it.
What was the first record you ever bought?
My first record was given to me by my granny, Mary Clare. She also bought the CD player to play it on! I still have it. She was a great lover of traditional music. She came from a musical household and she was a lovely singer. She bought me The Pipes Are Calling by uilleann piping duo Peter and Noel Carberry, a rather niche recording looking back but I absolutely adored it! I played it on repeat all the time! Not in a nice listen-y way. In a start, stop, start, stop, ‘what was that ornament?’ kinda way. God, my mother was so patient! Some of the material from Rise I learned from this recording.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Piano Man by Billy Joel - It traces the hopes, dreams, aspirations and disappointments of humanity and stands as a reminder to go for what you want to achieve, don’t let anyone predict your destiny if you can avoid it.
Favourite lyric of all time?
"In spite of ourselves, we’ll end up a-sitting’ on a rainbow, Against all odds, honey, we’re the big door prize, We’re gunna spite our noses right off of our faces, There won’t be nothin’ but big old hearts dancin’ in our eyes" - John Prine and Iris DeMent.
It’s ballad of the everyman and every-woman, of being happy where you are, living the good times and appreciating the important things.
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The Dancer’s Delight by Frankie Gavin, Arty McGlynn, Aidan Coffee, from the live recording Irlande. It is absolute dynamite. It’s nearly crashed my car for me on more than one occasion.
Where can people find your music/more information?
You can visit my website.
You can order Three Sisters and pre-order Rise on Bandcamp @carolinkeanemusic.
You can keep up to date with my tours and adventures on Instagram @carolinekeanemusic.
Find out more at Linktree: @carolinekeane.
Alan Corr
